By Guest commentary Friday, July 21st, 2023

First of two articles

By Vlad Vaiman

Artificial intelligence or AI is fast transforming our lives and workplaces, and management in general, and talent management in particular, are no exception. The use of AI-powered solutions to automate processes, enhance decision-making, and customize the employee experience, when it comes to the attraction, development, and retention of talented individuals is becoming widely accepted.

This short article will examine the function of artificial intelligence in talent management in some detail. We will also address the potential benefits and challenges associated with the use of AI in managing talent.

Speaking broadly, AI has the potential to automate a wide range of talent management processes, and its application is currently underway in some organizations.

For example, the entire recruiting process, from sourcing candidates to setting up interviews, may be automated with the help of AI-enabled tools. The time and energy needed to fill open positions may be lowered as a result of this.

AI-powered technology can also be used to automate the onboarding process, which entails things like providing new hires with background information about the company and setting up training sessions. There is no doubt that this can help make a positive impact on the onboarding process and speed up the time it takes for new recruits to start contributing.

In addition, AI-driven technologies can be utilized in the field of employee development to tailor training programs to each worker’s unique set of skills and interests. In the long run, this could help the company by raising morale and output among workers.

AI-enabled solutions can be also used for performance management purposes, such as keeping tabs on employees’ productivity and providing constructive criticism, which may help increase employee performance and enhance their developmental opportunities.

Finally, AI-driven solutions can help with retention by identifying employees who are at risk of quitting and offering them assistance. This includes identifying talented people who may be considering leaving and working on creative solutions to keep them with the organization. This should improve talent retention and reduce the high costs associated with employee turnover.

Let’s look in more detail at one of the key components of talent management and discuss a few possible applications of AI-enabled tools. 

Starting with the process of attracting, recruiting, and hiring talented employees, AI can be used, for example, to evaluate applicants’ resumes. The time it takes to assess resumes manually can be cut down significantly with this method. 

Also, the interviews — either in-person or online — with prospective employees can be scheduled with the help of AI, which could make it easier and less time-consuming for hiring managers to plan interviews with candidates. Another viable application for AI is finding a suitable job role for a candidate. 

As a result, recruiters and hiring managers may spend less time trying to pair qualified applicants with open positions. AI can be also used to supply candidates with feedback on how they performed during interviews.

Providing such feedback can enhance the candidate experience, which may result in more organizational commitment from that employee down the road. 

Lastly, AI can be used to determine which workers are likely productive now and in the future, which will benefit both employers and talented employees alike.

Among potential benefits, it is essential to emphasize the ability of AI to automate tasks and improve decision-making, which can lead to increased efficiency in talent management efforts.  AI can also assist in personalizing the overall employee experience, which can lead to improved employee engagement and productivity. 

In addition, AI can help to reduce the costs associated with talent management, such as the costs of recruiting and onboarding new employees, development, and retention. We’ll discuss these issues in our next installment.

The role of artificial intelligence in organizational talent management is the topic of the upcoming 8^th annual Executive Talent Management Forum, to be held at Cal Lutheran on September 21 (see executivetalent.net) for more information.

Dr. Vlad Vaiman (vvaiman@callutheran.edu) is a Professor and Associate Dean at the Cal Lutheran School of Management.